IMPERSONATION- The Internal Security Organisation (ISO) at State House is holding a man identified as Henry Mugisa Akiki, suspected to have conned a group of taxi operators of sh1m after promising them an appointment with President Yoweri Museveni.

Mugisa, 32, was picked by ISO operatives at a restaurant called Subway in Kampala, where he had scheduled to meet Abdu Kimera, the chairman Salama-Munyonyo taxi stage. He was pick more sh1m from Kimera.

He was, however, arrested and taken to State House for questioning. Mugisa, who claims to be a manager at a dry cleaning company in the city centre, was also caught with fake identity cards from the Office of the President, which had the title of intelligence officer and that of Kampala Capital City Authority where he held the title of councillor Makindye division.

Narrating his ordeal to journalists on Wednesday this week, Kimera said he first met Mugisa at Maria’s Galleria, a city shopping mall in town when his colleagues said he would help solve their problem.

“There was a gentleman called Lubega, who also worked in the taxi business with us at Usafi. However, we got disagreements with him over our Sacco money that disappeared mysteriously. Some of our colleagues claimed the money was safe in the bank,” he said.

“But we later learnt that one person amidst us got a collaborator (Mugisa) who duped them promising jobs in Government and an appointment with the President. We later met Mugisa, who said he was a councillor in Makindye and a State House security operative. He was able to understand that we were lawful taxi operators and offered to help us meet with the President to resolve our taxi issues,” Kimera stated.

Before scheduling for the appointment, Mugisa demanded that Kimera and his colleagues pay sh7m, some of which would go to his senior supervisors and the final security person who fixes all appointments for the President, but the group declined, saying they had sh2m of which he later accepted.

Mugisa, who spoke to journalists, however, denied the allegations brought to him and instead said the group approached him for help having been engrossed in taxi wrangles at Usafi that was failing their business.

“I was simply working as a good Samaritan, trying to help the men resolve their issues. I even gave them money for lunch at one time when they did not have anything,” he argued.

When asked about the fake IDs, Mugisa said he had worked with KCCA for a short time as a supervisor for garbage collection in Makindye division.

“I was very instrumental during the elections and though I didn’t go to state house, I took part in campaigning for the President,” he stated.

Rtd Col Frank Bagyenda Kaka, the ISO boss, warned the public against masquerading adding that anyone caught will face the law.

He said Mugisa will remain under their custody, as investigations continue and will later be handed over to Police to arraign him in court.